OLD MASONIC HALL

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey five-bay mid-Victorian former Masonic hall built c.1872 to designs by an unknown architect. Rectangular plan form facing southwest with a single storey porch abutted to southeast, added in c.1985-86. The Old Masonic Hall is now split into two dwellings being situated to the N of the junction between Maytown Road and Main Street, Bessbrook.

Generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite walling with red brick dressings; stone cills and stepped red brick surround to square-headed gauged-brick door and window opes.

Pitched natural slate roof with angled black clay ridge tiles, rectangular-section red brick chimneys to NW and SE gables. Flush eaves with a single red brick corbel course; cast iron RWGs with half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes. Generally 6/6 double hung sliding timber sash windows, with window horns. Top opening timber casement windows to rear elevation.

Principal elevation
The front elevation is symmetrical and faces SW, adjacent to the crossroads between the Maytown Road and Main Street, Bessbrook. The modest sized front garden is now internally divided by hooped painted metal railings, having random-coursed rock-faced dwarf stone walling with stone coping to external yard boundaries. Two-part painted metal vehicular gates at NW end; similar foot gate hung on slim posts is aligned to centre of elevation. A concrete path from the foot gate leads to a four panelled painted timber door to centre of facade; black iron furniture to door and square headed fanlight above (door leads to No. 3).

Facade has a regular fenestration pattern; four windows to FF level in line with those to GF; central bay having main entrance door at GF and a moulded rectangular granite datestone above to FF level. Datestone bears the inscription: ‘Mullaglass Masonic Hall, 1872’ the date being inscribed within a Masonic set square and compass symbol.

Northwest elevation
NW facing elevation has a red brick chimney to its gable apex and a smooth cement render finish throughout. Painted timber four panel door at GF level to NE end of elevation has a two part window to the LHS (NE).

Northeast elevation
Rear elevation faces NE being enclosed at the rear by a rock-faced random-coursed stone retaining wall to NE boundary of narrow raised and paved yard. Generally rear elevation has smooth rendered finish to GF; FF having original stone walling and three timber casement windows with concrete heads and slim concrete cills.

Southeast
Southeast elevation is set back from a local access road to SE having a red brick chimney to gable apex and a projecting monopitch roofed porch to its SW end. A painted metal scrollwork foot gate leads from the local access road to the front garden at SW where the porch has a six panelled painted timber door (leading to No. 1) facing SW; painted metal furniture to door and a single casement window to SE side of porch. Smooth rendered dwarf walling extends NE from porch, along the side of the local access road, enclosing a modest yard accessed through a painted timber foot gate. Yard leads to a panelled painted timber entrance door with a single window adjoined to its NE side; black iron furniture to door and monopitched canopy above door and adjoining window is supported on plain painted timber brackets.

Two equally spaced double hung 6/6 sash windows to FF level. Generally smooth cement render finish to elevation.

Setting
The former Mullaghglass Masonic Hall is situated to the N of a crossroads where four roads meet: Maytown Road (to NW), Millvale Road (to SE), Main Street, Bessbrook (to SW) and a local access road (to NE). The crossroads being on one of the main approaches to Bessbrook village, an important mill village with many historic buildings, including: a former linen mill (HB16/22/039), two formally designed residential squares built for the mill workers known as Charlemont Square (built between c. 1862-66) and the later College Square (built in c.1883), as well as various other secular and ecclesiastical buildings of note. The Masonic hall falls outside of the Bessbrook Conservation Area being one of a cluster of buildings at the crossroads which includes Mullaghglass Orange Hall to the E (c.1897) and a former rectory located to the W.

Materials:

Roof: Natural slate
RWGs: Cast iron
Walling: Newry Granodiorite
Windows: Timber sash and timber casements

Historical information

The former Masonic Hall on the Maytown Road, a two-storey five-bay red-brick mid-Victorian building located in the townland of Mullaghglass, was constructed in 1872. The building was built as a Masonic Hall on a plot of land granted by Major M. J. Hall, a prominent local landlord who owned most of the townland. In The history of Nelson Masonic Lodge, No. XVIII Newry (1809-1909), Francis Crossle recorded that Lodge No. 696 (Mullaghglass Masonic Lodge) was initially granted its warrant on 4th January 1789. This was renewed in 1867 prior to the construction of the purpose-built Masonic Hall on the Maytown Road. Following its completion, the Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of the Masonic Hall at £8 with the valuer noting that the Master of the local lodge was Doctor Joseph Lightburne, a local M.D. who resided at Rosemount, Newry. The adjoining hall for the Orange Order was not constructed until 1897. The Masonic Hall was recorded on the third edition Ordnance Survey map (1906) which depicted the building along its current rectangular-layout. Crossle stated that, at its height, the Mullaghglass Masonic Lodge possessed 189 registered members (Crossle, p. 5).

The Annual Revisions records that ownership of the site had passed to John Harland, a local famer and merchant, by c. 1890. Masonic Lodge No. 696 continued to meet at the hall in Mullaghglass until 1898 when the lodge was dissolved. The designation Masonic Lodge No. 696 was not revived until 1945 when it was granted to Mourne Masonic Lodge in Annalong (Mourne Masonic Lodge website). Following the dissolution of Mullaghglass Masonic Lodge, the former hall was converted into three self-contained dwellings which were leased to private tenants by John Harland. In 1901 the Census of Ireland building return described the former Masonic Hall as a 1st class building that contained three dwellings, each of which consisted of three rooms. The First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) which increased the total value of the building to £11 and 15 shillings and recorded that the building was subdivided into two dwellings on its ground floor, with a single larger dwelling occupying the upper floor, all of which were leased to tenants by the Trustees of Mullaghglass Orange Hall. The layout of the site remained unaltered by the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) at which time the total rateable value of the site stood at £16 and 15 shillings.

The former Masonic Hall at Mullaghglass was listed in 1985. The NIEA HB Records note that the building underwent an extensive renovation in 1985-86 which converted the building into its current layout as two self-contained dwellings. The refurbishment of the interior resulted in the addition of the single-storey entrance porch to the southeast gable of the building and included the reslating of its roof, the installation of new floors throughout and the construction of modern kitchen and bathroom facilities. Field inspection of the site, carried out as part of the Second Survey, has found that the former Masonic Hall continues to be sub-divided into a pair of self-contained dwellings (NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/2/26/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1834-35)
2. PRONI OS/6/2/26/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1861)
3. PRONI OS/6/2/26/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1906)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/22A-F – Annual Revisions (1865-1929)
5. PRONI VAL/3/C/2/15 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
6. PRONI VAL/4/B/2/24 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
7. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
8. Crossle’s The history of Nelson Masonic Lodge, No. XVIII, Newry (1909)
9. Census of Ireland (1901: 1911)
10. First Survey Record – HB16/22/027
11. NIEA HB Record – HB16/22/027

Online Resources
1. Mourne Masonic Lodge website - http://www. Mournemasoniclodge696.co.uk/warrant.html

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

T. Historic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Two-storey five-bay mid-Victorian former Masonic hall, built c.1872 to designs by an unknown architect, in local Newry Granodiorite stone with red brick dressings. Rectangular plan form facing SW onto the Maytown Road crossroad with Main Street Bessbrook, having a single-storey monopitched porch attached to SE gable, added in c.1985-86. The building retains its external character despite an altered internal plan and modern finishes, being divided internally into two self-contained two-story dwellings.
Situated on a prominent site along a main approach to Bessbrook Village, a model mill village based on Quaker ideological beliefs with many historic buildings, the former Masonic hall is of local historical and social importance.